White Knights
by The Elusive Cryptic
Summary: Derek's always been longing for a family, so when he meets Mia, the eccentric new cop, and her young daughter Vivienne, he thinks he's finally found the perfect fit. But the hunters and creatures roaming Beacon Hills threaten to repeat history while Derek struggles to protect the ones he's come to love without letting them go for good. (Slight AU; S1-?)
1. The Woods

So, I changed the first few chapters because, looking back on them, I don't know, I didn't like 'em. Though, I barely changed this chapter much at all.

Like I said, firsts are always a bit rough for me, but let me know what you think.

* * *

**Chapter One**

He found Laura by the fallen tree, the part of her that was left for him to find. He sank down to the wet, filthy ground along with his heart. He laid his jacket over her torso, brushed the hair from her face, which was frozen in a picture of fear.

Then there was a light; a flashlight shining in his way. There was the outline of a woman behind other yellow beams. She paused, shining it around and putting her hand on her hip, just barely missing him.

He picked up the torso of his sister, wrapping it in his jacket and carrying her home.

* * *

Amelia combed through the trees, shining the light around the trunks. She stopped suddenly; a sound seeming to erupt through the sounds of footsteps of other policemen behind her. It was a whimper, the sound. Like a dog being injured.

She put her hand on the gun.

"Mia."

She jumped and spun to face the sheriff.

"You think you found something?" He asked.

"Heard something," she told him, stepping in the direction of the sound. "Like a dog or something. Over here."

Sheriff Stilinski strode over along with her by a fallen tree. She shined the light over the leaves and the dirt, a spatter of scarlet across the fallen trunk catching her gaze.

"Is that blood?"

She kneeled down and got a closer look, shrugging, "I don't think its paint."

The sheriff spoke into the walkie, calling for a spatter detective. Mia stood up, looking back over her shoulder.

There was no more evidence to be found.

"I'll put up a marker," Sheriff told her. She nodded, "I'll keep looking."

The rest of the search was a bust, but she found it entirely exciting. Her **first real case** and she'd found the blood. It wasn't necessarily a good sign for the victim, but for her job, it would be.

_"Ah!" _

Mia jumped on her feet like a cat, running in the direction of the yell and head on into a herd of deer. She flew behind a tree, keeping herself flat against the thunder of hooves. Head bent into her shoulder, she looked over to a man running off into the distance. Well, more like a kid.

Mia got a better view of him and pursed her lips.

More like a **Scott**.

"Scott!" She called in a half-whisper. "Scott you better get out here in a matter of ten seconds."

Not another sign of Scott until another cry bolted through the atmosphere. Mia took off, weaving through every obstacle with ease, thanks to her training. She looked left and right, jumping over a log, ducking under a branch. Her ponytail licked her cheek with a sudden burst of air, like a breeze from someone running past.

"Mia!"

She spun to face Scott, who held his side, grimacing.

"Scott?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Scott, what happened?"

He leaned forward, his forehead beaded with sweat, gasping, "There, there was a wolf."

"A wolf?" She asked, her tone taking a turn for sarcasm: _Are you screwing with me?_

"Yeah," He stuttered, "I heard it. It…" Scott trailed off, holding his side, debating if he should tell her. It wasn't bleeding much. "Chased…me."

She rolled her eyes, "That's the worst excuse you've given me in a while."

"But it's-"

"You know, I told you and Stiles that if you came sneaking around these cases-"

"Stiles already got caught," Scott sulked.

"Good," she said. "One less parent I have to talk to."

"Mia, please don't tell her," he said, looking up to his old babysitter. She looked down and groaned at the puppy-dog look.

"That worked when you were ten," Mia told him, referring to him giving her the guilt-trip to get him and Stilinski out of trouble.

Scott sighed and held his side again, deciding not to tell her. He'd get into so much trouble with trouble with his mother, and he could just get Deaton to give a statement on it.

"Are you okay?" She asked, noticing his wince.

He nodded, "Yeah, just winded. From the wolf chasing me."

Mia rolled her eyes, "Come on, I'll drive you home before the rest of 'em arrest you."

Scott nodded and followed her back, praying to God the puppy-dog face was working.

* * *

Mia sat at the desk with Mr. Stilinski, going through missing persons reports.

"Think she's any of them?" She asked.

The sheriff shook his head, "No, most of the women are too young."

Mia nodded and looked at her watch, "Crap, I have to call it a night. Babysitter'll ask for more pay."

Stilinski scoffed and nodded, "Yeah. I'll let you know if we find anything."

"Thanks," she mumbled, shrugging on her coat and pulling her ponytail out from under her collar.

Tara sat at the desk, fumbling through police reports, nodding a goodbye as Mia passed. Mia nodded back and swung open the door, jumping into her car and turning on the radio, adjusting the rearview mirror.

"What, the hell?" She whispered, watching something large and black slink its way through the shadows of the parking lot, then delving back through the trees. Mia blinked her eyes roughly, looking back and seeing nothing.

She sighed, shaking her head and looking at the time: **3:42**

"Sleep," She murmured, "that's what you need…And locks…A lot of door locks."

It wasn't a very long drive home: a small little house just outside of town, no more than two miles.

"Hey," she whispered, opening the door to see the babysitter still watching television.

"Hi, Mrs. Roscoe," she said, standing up. The teen was a bit shorter compared to Mia, but only a few years younger.

"I am so sorry," Mia apologized. "I didn't know the search was going to be so long."

"That's okay," she told her, "I'm more nocturnal."

Mia laughed at the weak joke and grabbed her small wallet from the countertop, pulling out a few dollar bills, "How's thirty sound?"

"Great," she told her excitedly, "More than you promised, actually."

"I kept you up until four in the morning, you deserve a tip."

The babysitter smiled and flipped her golden hair over her shoulder. She took the money from Mia's hands and said, "Thank you. Oh, and Vivienne's in your bed. She said there were monsters under hers. I couldn't get her to sleep in hers."

Mia rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Don't worry about it. She hardly sleeps in her own bed, anyways."

She smiled and nodded another 'thank you', sneaking out the door while Mia shrugged off her coat and unbuttoned her shirt, pulling her tank-top down after undoing the belt and putting it in the top shelf of the cupboard where Vivienne would never get at it.

"Mommy?"

Mia turned to see little Vivienne by the hallway rubbing her eyes, her curls spun into a rat's nest.

"What are you doing up?" She asked, fluffing the tiny girl's hair.

She looked up, her eyes dull with sleep, "Heared you."

Mia picked her up and carried her to her own room, gently setting Vivienne on her little Disney Princess covered sheets.

"You know there's nothing under your bed, babe." She said, covering her up with the tiny comforter.

Vivienne shook her head, "Is ou'side."

Mia looked over and saw the pink curtains were open, "You saw something outside?"

Vivienne shook her head again, pausing and then telling her, "I heared it."

"And what did you hear?"

She paused and looked back outside, to where the trees just barely started on their route to the rest of the forest. Then, she looked up to her mother and answered, "It wassa big doggy."

Mia nodded, remembering the whimper she'd heard in the woods.

"Well," she stood and walked over to the window, "there won't any doggies getting in here," Mia closed the curtains and then sat back on the small bed, "will there?"

Mia kissed the top of her head, reminding herself to give Vivienne a bath tomorrow.

Vivienne looked up and yawned, her breath faintly smelling of mint toothpaste. She smiled up at Mia and then rolled over, clutching her pillow like a teddy bear.


	2. Tide

**Let me know what you like and what you think I can improve on. Tips always help!**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Is in my eyes!" Vivienne cried, her bright blue eyes filling with tears.

Mia sighed; the shampoo wasn't even to the girl's forehead. She poured another cup of bathwater over Vivienne's head, making her jump around and swivel her hair roughly, splashing Mia's shirt.

"Vivienne," Mia said, trying to keep the tone out of her voice, "Honey, it's just water."

"It hurts!"

"Because you think it does," she told her, rinsing out the rest of the shampoo. Vivienne pouted at the water, jutting out her mouth, which she had earned from her mother.

Mia helped her over the bathtub and then threw a princess towel around her shoulders, drying her off and then moving up to her dark brown hair, which was starting to tangle and curl.

Right when Mia grabbed the comb, her phone started to ring, making her jump and hustle over to grab it, sitting back down on the small bed in Vivienne's room with Vivienne sitting in front of her. Gently combing through the tangles, she answered, "Roscoe."

"_Hey, it's Tara_."

"Yeah, I know, I'm late," She apologized. "I'm sorry-"

"_It's fine_," Tara said. "_I was just checking up."_

"Well, thank you. And I'll be in in a bit," Mia answered, spritzing in more detangle spray. Vivienne looked up and whispered, "Mommy, I'm late?"

Mia shook her head at her and then picked her up, carrying her to her room, "Go find some underwear, sweetheart."

Vivienne nodded, "Okay."

Vivienne looked through her drawers while Mia spoke into the phone, "I'll be there soon-"

Tara chuckled kindly, "_Don't worry about it, Mia. I know how hard it's been after David_. _Stilinski's excusing it. You know how he bends the rules for you_"

"Yeah," Mia paused, looking over to Vivienne, who was pulling her underwear on backwards. She rolled her eyes lightheartedly and went to help her. "I don't want him to feel like I'm taking advantage, though. Uh, but, I'll be there in a bit."

"_Alright_."

She hung up and helped Vivienne pull on the rest of her clothes, combing her hair up into pigtails. Then, she helped her put on her new jacket and buckled her into the car seat.

* * *

"Did we get any leads?" Mia asked, checking in. Tara shook her head, answering, "No, but there's a scheduled curfew tonight: Everyone under the age of eighteen in their homes by 9:30 PM."

Mia nodded, "Sounds good to me. We don't need any more teenagers running around." She had been referring to Scott running around in the woods, but Tara hadn't known that and had given her a confused look. Mia shook her head, "Never mind, Tara. Don't worry about it."

Sheriff Stilinski walked inside, sending a blast of cool air into the department. He looked over and smiled at Mia, "Good to see you're coming to work today."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry," She said, leaning back against the counter.

The sheriff patted her shoulder and chuckled, "Just teasing. Oh, there's a self-defense demonstration at the school in a couple hours," he mentioned, pointing over to Tara. He moved his finger to Mia, "And the car is still getting fixed, so you can patrol with me today."

"No service calls?" She asked.

"Not today," Stilinski told her.

"Great," Mia said.

* * *

It was around seven when Derek decided he needed more clothes to wear. He hadn't owned many and they were already beginning to smell rancid inside his duffel.

He dumped the duffel on top of a bench next to some other laundry basket with a kid sitting next to it; a cute little brunette with her hair up in a bun and wearing a jacket that matched her pants over a pink shirt. She was no older than four at the most. The girl looked up at Derek and then jumped off the bench and ran over to a young woman a couple machines down. Derek stuffed the clothes in and shuffled through the counter for some soap. He grit his teeth and kept digging.

"Need to borrow some," asked a voice.

Derek turned to see a woman holding up a little plastic pod with assorted soaps built into it. He furrowed his brows and studied her.

"It's laundry soap," she said with a small smile, "Do you need any?"

Derek nodded and took it from her. She smiled and looked over at his clothes bunched into the wash, frowning a bit.

"If you put those white shirts in with the others, the color'll run," she told him.

"Don't really have enough soap for two loads," he replied, looking through the clothes.

"You can borrow another if you'd like."

He recognized her voice and realized that he'd met her somewhere else before. While he thought it out, he dug the whites from the colors while she set another soap pod on top of his washing machine.

"Mommy!"

The woman smiled and looked down at the young girl, stroking her hair and asking, "Yeah?"

She pulled her mother's hand down and Derek recognized her also. Well, not so much the little girl as the features she possessed.

Suddenly, he knew who he was speaking to.

"You're Mia?" He asked.

She looked up at him with eyes that shone a bright blue with flecks of green.

"Uh, yeah," she said with some hesitation, "do I know you?"

His eyebrows jumped and he nodded roughly, "You were David's girlfriend."

Her eyes lit up, "Right! Derek, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. You look so different."

Derek nodded again while she took some towels from the dryer next to him. She took them over to the counter while a couple more people shuffled through the door. Mia began to fold them while Vivienne sat at the bench beside it, watching the two in silence. Derek looked down at her and managed the smallest of smiles. She smiled back with a full set of baby teeth.

"Is she David's?" He asked roughly but timidly.

"Oh?" Mia smiled back at Vivienne, who leaned her head back against the bench and huffed impatiently.

Her voice was sorrowful and her eyes lingered along with her smile, which had begun to fade, "Yeah, she is."

"She looks like him," Derek commented.

Mia nodded and set the piles of cloths and towels in the basket she'd brought, sitting beside Vivienne, who yawned and leaned against her arm. She sat up on her knees and cupped her hand around her little mouth and whispered in her mother's ear, "Can we go yet?"

Mia whispered back with a petite smile, "We're almost done." She turned to Derek and asked, "So, how have you been de-doing?"

_How have you been dealing?_

Derek closed the washing machine door, his whites stacked on top of it. He looked back and saw she was smiling at him gently, as if expecting an answer.

"Been better," he answered honestly. "How're you and David doing?"

Mia's breath caught in her throat, "What?"

Derek looked to see her face grow paler, her eyes slightly wider with surprise. She gave him a sympathetic look and asked, "You haven't heard yet, have you?"

He instantly had the familiar feeling of dread soaking his insides.

"Heard what?" He asked gingerly, his voice growing coarse.

She stood up and walked next to him, looking him in the eye, "He passed away a few months ago."

Derek grit his teeth and stared at her, finding hints of mixed emotions in her lovely eyes.

"How?" Derek asked.

She sighed, "There was a car accident."

He looked up after hearing a blip in her heartbeat on the simple but deadly word: accident. He looked for any signs of lying. She remained with that look in her eyes.

She rubbed his shoulder, but said nothing else.

Mia sat by Vivienne and moved over a little on the bench, patting the seat next to her, "You want to sit?"

"I'm fine," Derek said.

Mia nodded. It wasn't a wonder why she didn't recognize him; he looked so altered, carried himself differently with that particular guise in his eye.

It was the look of a man who'd been beaten down.

"Okay," she said.

It was quiet for a few minutes, Derek leaning against the washing machine, thinking about his next move while Vivienne yawned loudly to show her patience was waning while lying against Mia's arm. The dryer stopped and Mia took out the clothes, moving her lips to the music playing in the Laundromat and folded them silently. She put them into the same basket and Vivienne sat up primly, "All done?"

"All done," Mia confirmed. She smiled at Derek warmly, "Maybe I'll see you later."

Derek watched them leave, somehow finding pity for David that he would never see his daughter grow up, though the feeling wouldn't last very long.


	3. Powwow

So this one is kind of short, but it has a little action. Sorry about that, but I thought I should get it up for you guys.

Review!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

It was a Thursday when Mia pulled into work again to get the phone call.

Tara had been helping her sort through service call statements when the telephone rang, making Mia drop her paper and reach for the phone.

"I got it," Mia said, answering: "Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department."

"_Mia?"_ Stiles said. "_Oh, thank God, Mia."_

"Stiles?" Mia asked. "Why are you calling here?"

"_I found a dead body_," he whizzed through his words so quickly she barely understood him. "_Uh, well, actually the other half of that dead girl. A Derek Hale's house." _

"Derek Hale?" She asked. "You're sure it was Derek Hale's house?"

"_Yes_!" Stiles yelled. "_I found the body_!"

"Uh, um, yeah, okay," Mia mumbled, putting the phone against her shoulder and telling Tara, "Tell the sheriff his son found the other half of the body; at Derek Hale's house."

Tara nodded and got out her walkie, speaking quickly into it.

"You're absolutely sure it's Derek. Hale's. House?" She repeated slowly.

"_Yes, Mia_!" He said. "_Derek. Hale's. House. Why? Do you know him_?"

"A little, yes," She said. "We'll be down there. Watch yourself."

"_Affirmative."_

Z

Derek Hale had just been driving up when he saw the police at his home, with his sister dug up and thrown into a black bag, just like the rest of his family had been.

The officer who had arrested him inside his house had read him his rights and handcuffed him, dragging him roughly and carelessly to the door when another cop stepped in. It was the woman from the Laundromat: Amelia.

She said nothing but led him to the car, sitting him down in the backseat and flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. She flashed him a quick look from the rearview mirror; her face a mask, he didn't know what she was thinking of him now.

Derek found himself wondering.

Mia asked for orders through the walkie while Derek sat back and stared in the mirror, trying to get a glimpse of her face to see if he could tell now. She kept her face low and covered by the shadows while she got out talking to the sheriff.

The sheriff's kid was obnoxious enough, asking questions and shit. Though, it was nothing Derek couldn't handle until the sheriff hauled him off. Derek grit his teeth, hoping there wouldn't be another murder around town.

Mia sat back in the police car, causing his thoughts to drift.

"Well," she started, looking at him through the rearview mirror again, "I've gotta take you down to the station."

Derek leaned his back, staring her down in response.

She sighed slightly and drove: a silent car ride that was excruciatingly awkward for both of them.

Thirty minutes later, Derek was locked up in a cell with Mia sitting at the desk, talking on the phone.

"Hey, I heard you finally made first line."

"_Yeah_," said a boy, "_hopefully I'll play tonight_."

Derek sat up straighter, not even having to strain his ears to hear the idiot talking on the other line. It was short conversation about lacrosse and babysitting. Mia cast a glance in his direction to see what he was up to. There appeared to be no threat. He just sat there, staring at the wall with his hands in his lap.

"Okay, play well," she finished.

Scott sighed, "No promises."

She rolled her eyes and hung up, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes.

It was silent for a few minutes, the two minding their own business until she'd gotten up to get a glass of water from across the room.

"You want any of this?" She asked.

Derek looked up abruptly, his brows high. Mia coughed awkwardly and rephrased, "Uh, I mean water-the water."

She held up a glass and gestured to him, quickly turning and re-mouthing silently, _'This? What?'_ Mia rolled her eyes, sighing, and looked over to Derek again.

Derek nodded slightly and she handed him a glass through the bars. He swallowed it down in one large gulp and tossed it in the garbage on the other side of the room. Mia huffed slightly, impressed. She took another seat and looked through the files.

The basic information was the girl's identity: Laura Hale.

Mia cast another glance to Derek, who was still as a statue.

"I don't think you did it," she said slowly, as if to see what he would do.

"What makes you think that?" Derek asked, somewhat rudely.

She scoffed at his tone, then looked across the room, directly into his eyes, "Because, she was your sister."

Derek looked directly into her eyes and decided he liked this particular cop.

"Well, you seem to be the only one," Derek said, his tone more pleasant.

Mia nodded and asked, "Did you and David ever stay in touch?" She looked at the ground as she asked, not looking him in the eye this time.

Derek shook his head, looking back at the wall, "No."

"Never really looked back, then, huh?"

He cleared his throat and asked, "When did you two get married?"

"About four years ago," she said. "Had Vivienne a little after."

"Your daughter."

"Yeah," she leaned back and closed her eyes. "Would've been nice for you visit…"

Derek looked at her, not really understanding her tone. Sure, they'd sat together at lunch and had been to the movies together a few times because she and David had been inseparable, but they'd never been best friends like he and David were.

It was like that for the rest of Mia's shift, long pauses and short explanations of what had happened after senior year.

"Mia."

They both turned to see another cop leaning on the doorframe.

"Yeah," She sat up in her seat and leaned her elbows on the desk.

"Vivienne's here," Tara said. "Babysitter dropped her off early."

"Oh?" She asked, "Yeah, you can bring her back for a few minutes while I pack things up."

"Alright."

A few seconds later a little tot came running through the door and up to Mia's legs. She smiled up at her lovingly and held up a picture torn from a coloring book.

Mia smiled and took it from her little hands, "Oh, this is beautiful."

Derek could tell it was indeed not beautiful, most three-year-olds' drawings weren't, but the little girl smiled proudly. She looked over to Derek and tugged at Mia's shirt. She turned form her desk while Vivienne stood on her tiptoes and asked, "That Derek," though her 'r's came out as adorable 'w's.

Mia nodded, "Yeah."

Vivienne smiled over at Derek shyly, hiding behind her mother's legs a little.

Derek nodded back, keeping a nice look on his face so as not to scare her. She leaned towards him a little and whispered low enough so her mom couldn't hear, "The lady says you nice."

Derek furrowed his brows together and asked quietly, "What lady?"

"Your-"

"Alright, sweet pea," Mia started, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder. She dropped some papers against the desk, assorting them into a perfect stack. "Ready to go?"

Vivienne turned all her attention to Mia and smiled, stomping down her little black sneakers in joy. Mia smiled down at her and gave a small wave over her shoulder to Derek before she disappeared into the hallway.


	4. Eavesdrop

**Chapter Four**

"Hey," Stilinski smiled as Mia checked in. "You're on time today."

"For once," she laughed. "Probably just this once," her tone went down to disappointment, then she smiled up at Stilinski briefly, "Starting that Kindermusic thing next week."

Stilinski nodded, "I remember Stiles in that. Except **he** never wanted to** leave**."

Mia chuckled, "The car's fixed?"

"Yeah."

Tara stormed in, interrupting and saying, "There's been a phone call from the school. Suspected murder by one of the buses."

"The school?" Mia asked.

"Let's go, we'll ride together," Stilinski said, "get there faster."

He started to call in units as Mia and Stilinski got into the police car.

* * *

"So, you think it's that same animal that killed Laura Hale?"

Stilinski nodded, "It must've been."

"But there were wolf hairs," Mia said, "that's why Derek Hale was let go."

"This could be a wolf," Stilinski said. "We'll have to talk to Deaton about it though."

Mia nodded, "I'll ask when I take in Fritz for his stitches."

Stilinski handed her some reports as they loaded the bloody man into the ambulance. Mia took them and headed off, tugging at Fritz's collar for him follow.

She set him in the backseat and scratched his ear. Fritz barked in approval and she murmured, "Good boy."

"I'm sorry I'm late," Scott apologized as he set his down and book bag, getting to work.

"You're all of two minutes late," Deaton told him.

"Didn't want you to think I was slacking," Scott said.

Deaton spoke: "I can assure you you're one the least slacking kids in this town."

Scott smiled and turned to see Mia in the doorway, waving in the window to Scott. She opened the door and Deaton patted his legs, calling to the dog and saying, "Who's ready to get their stitches out?"

Mia smiled as the dog jumped on the table, resting so Deaton could see his leg.

"Hey, Scott."

"Hey, any news on the…case?" Scott asked hesitantly.

"You know I can't tell you that," Mia said, holding up papers and opening a file, "though I can't stop you from eavesdropping now can I?"

Scott grinned as she winked at him.

"Deaton," She requested, "I've gotta ask if you know of any animal that could've attacked that man."

"Like I said on the last one," he started, "I'm no expert."

"Well," Mia shrugged a bit, "You're best we've got."

Deaton smiled softly at her, "Then let's have a look."

She showed him the papers and Deaton studied them, taking them in and flipping through.

"Sacramento can't tell us anything, but there were wolf hairs on Laura Hale's body-"

"A wolf?" Scott chimed in. The two adults looked at him while he stuttered, "I thought I read somewhere that wolves haven't been in California for like sixty years."

"True enough," Deaton said. "But wolves are highly migratory."

"Does that look like a wolf, though?" Mia asked.

"I don't know," he said, showing Mia a picture of the man's face, "see, those are claw marks, a wolf would've went for the throat or spinal cord. Though wolves can hunt down their prey, hobbling it at the ankles…Then the throat."

Mia nodded, "Well, thanks for the help."

Deaton nodded, letting the dog off the table, stiches-free.

* * *

"I got Fritz all fixed up," Mia explained to Stilinski over the walkie. "And I spoke to Deaton, he said it could've been a wolf, but he's not sure yet."

"_The help's appreciated_."

"You want me to get on that request?"

"_Yeah, why don't you_?"

The drive to that request was long and winding, trees making her swivel every which way to get to the Hale house. Her only companion on the ride was Fritz, one of the police dogs.

She almost felt bad looking at it, the shell of an old house that anyone could tell was once beautiful.

Mia stepped out and looked at the windows, most of which were broken and rusted. Fritz decided to let out a loud bark then, making Mia jump and glare at the dog.

"You know you scared the hell outta me, Fritz."

Fritz kept at it, though, barking as loud as he could, getting slobber on the window. She patted the glass and opened the driver's door again, rolling up the rest of the window. She shut the door and the dog seemed to quiet down, but that could've just been the closed window.

Mia ignored the dog and walked up the steps anyway, opening the creaky door and stepping inside. She tapped her fingernails on a bannister, calling up the stairs: "Anyone here?"

Her voice echoed, seeming to be the only sound in the house. She trailed around the first level, careful not to touch anything.

"Okay," she mumbled to herself, going up the stairs, which creaked under her weight. Her grip on the bannister tightened, suspecting that she might fall through the stairs.

"I thought I was cleared."

"Oh!" Mia let out a small cry, putting her hand on her chest and spinning to see Derek Hale standing there, the same bitter expression on his face. "You scared me."

He said nothing, but his eyebrows jumped expectantly.

"You are," she told him. "But they're claiming this as county property."

"Tearing it down?" He asked, sticking his hands in his jacket pockets.

"No," she told him. "Not that I've heard. But it's been taken over and I don't really want to see you arrested again for something as dumb as trespassing," she looked around as she finished mildly, "Even though it used to be your…house."

"Trespassing?" He said, taking a step towards her.

She stood a little taller, "Yes, and I don't want to have to have you evicted, okay?"

Mia sighed as he nodded.

"Alright," she finished, walking back down the steps. She paused at the door and spun to see his back facing her, "I can give you a few days…"

He looked over his shoulder back down at her, "A few?"

"A few," she told him. "I'm that high in rank so…can't really do much."

"It's enough."

* * *

Scott cycled his way over as if in a marathon, fueled by curiosity. He stopped short when he noticed Derek already on his porch, talking to **Mia**.

"_What_," He thought to himself.

She smiled up at him, at least six inches shorter than he was. Derek looked back down with an almost pleasant look on his face as he spoke to her. Scott listened in, curious to see why **Mia **was talking to **him.**

"_There's a motel a few miles downtown_," she said.

"_I'll find something_."

"_Okay_," she said. She spun to see Scott, "_Scott? What are you doing here?" _

Scott looked down at his feet, unaware he had been slinking closer while listening. He cleared his throat, "Uh…I got lost."

"Lost?" Mia asked, "Out here?"

Scott looked up at Derek, who tilted his chin up at him. He refocused his attention to Mia.

"Yeah, lost."

She sighed and shook her head, "Okay. Do you need a ride?"

"I'll find my way back," Scott said.

"The road should be a couple miles east," Derek said his tone rough, as if giving Scott a warning. Scott tried not to glare at him, still needing help from him.

"I'll find it," Scott said, his tone equally rough.

Derek narrowed his eyes while Mia nodded, "Well, I've gotta head out." She turned to Derek, "I'll see you later, you too, Scott."

Scott nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you."

She smiled back at the two, getting into her car and driving her way back to the road on the barely visible trail.

"Look," Scott started, "I know I was part of getting you arrested and we basically announced you here to the hunters. I don't know what happened to your sister…but I think I did something last night."

"You think you attacked the driver."

Scott's eyes widened, "Did you see what I did last night?"

"No."

"Can you at least tell me the truth? Could I hurt someone?"

"Yes."

Scott's shoulders dropped, "Could I kill someone?"

"Yes."

His voice rose, "Am I going to kill someone?"

"Probably."

Scott moaned and leaned against the porch.

"Listen," Derek started, "I can show you how to remember, I can show you how to control the shift, even on a full moon. But it's going to come for free."

"What do you want?"

"You'll find out. But for now I'm going to give you what you want. Go to bus, feel it, remember it, see it."

"That's it?"

"Is that what you want to know?"

"I just want to know if I hurt him," Scott said, his tone utterly depressing.

"No you don't," Derek countered in a mocking quality, "You want to know if you'll hurt her."

Scott straightened up, looking him in the eye. "Why were you talking to Mia?"

"Why?" Derek asked.

"Because I don't want her to get hurt!" Scott told him, "Her and Vivienne have already been through enough," Scott murmured to himself.

Derek leveled, looking at him curiously, "With David?"

"She told you about what happened?" Scott asked.

Derek narrowed his eyes, "What happened?"

"Is that what you what want?" Scott asked, "To find out?"

He scoffed, getting the intention that Scott was playing him.

"Go back and find out."

* * *

Mia scribbled out the check while Vivienne bounced a ball with another little girl around five. She couldn't remember the girl's name, but she knew it started with an 'R'.

She handed the check to Carla, who babysat Vivienne during the daytime.

"Thank you, Mrs. Roscoe."

"Oh, thank you for babysitting her," Mia said, looking over Carla's shoulder, "Vivienne, honey, we gotta go."

Vivienne jumped up and smiled, running over and clapping her hands, "Hi, Mommy!"

"Hey, babe," she grabbed Vivienne's little hand and smiled a goodbye over her shoulder to Carla, "I've gotta go get some food at the store, okay?"

Vivienne nodded and hopped into the car; and old 1995 blue Nissan. Mia lifted her up and set her in the car seat.

* * *

Derek pulled into the gas station, the only other car present an old blue Nissan.

Of course, it wasn't long after the hunters decided to corner him, at least three cars pulling in on every side of him, men getting out only to give him threatening looks.

"Nice ride," said the leader as Derek screwed on the cap, "Black cars though, very hard to keep clean." He rubbed his thumb against the hood of the Camaro, making Derek tense up. "I definitely suggest a little higher maintenance. I mean it's nice, you want take care of it, don't you?" He washed the windshield, "Personally, very protective of the things I love. That's something I learned from my family, something you don't have a lot of these days." He looked Derek in the eye, a hint of mockery glinting in his harsh green eyes. "Do you?"

Derek grit his teeth, clenching his fists.

The leader's eyes sparkled, a smug look on his face. Derek unclenched his fists.

"There we go," he said. "You can actually look through your windshield now. See how that makes everything so much clearer."

As he left, Derek made the unwise decision to provoke him, "You forgot to check the oil."

He turned, looking back at his comrades, "Check the man's oil."

The other came forward, shoving a gun through the front window, shattering glass all over the seat.

"Look's good to me," he chuckled.

Derek grit his teeth, watching them drive away. He sighed and looked at his broken window.

"Derek?"

He looked up, seeing Mia smiling at him with her daughter in tow.

"Hey, you get any luck yet?"

"Not yet," Derek said. "I might try the motel."

Mia nodded, opening the trunk of her car and setting a brown paper bag inside, "Listen, I've been thinking and I wanted to ask if you'd want to come over for dinner sometime?"

Derek looked down at Vivienne, who smiled up at him and asked sweetly, "Will you?"

_Dinner? _

He looked down at her big blues, suddenly finding it hard to say no.

"Probably," he said to her.

Mia smiled at him and Derek almost smiled back.


	5. Vindicated

****Short, but sweet.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Mia was enjoying a Starbucks and filing through service calls on the Thursday morning that the force had received word that the murder victim Laura Hale would be released for a proper burial.

"You want me to talk to Derek Hale?" Mia asked Stilinski. "He's practically the only remaining family member after all."

"Yeah," one of the cops said mockingly, "Why don't you see if he wants to get a proper grave plot."

Mia pursed her lips and nodded, "Alright, I'll try to find him."

After a harsh look at the cop, who rolled his eyes in response, she departed the police station to her car. She blew air from her mouth, checking her phone for any calls from daycare.

None…yet.

Mia took her time driving down to Derek's; the time in the car with the radio was the time while she pretended to be good enough to be on Broadway, which every person who had ever heard her sing knew wasn't true.

It was approximately six songs, including advertisements, until she'd gotten to Derek Hale's house, hoping he'd still be there so she wouldn't have to track him down. She brushed her hair behind her ears and knocked on the door, opening it a crack and asking, "Hello? Derek, you still here?"

"What?"

Mia let out a little laugh after nearly jumping out of her skin, "Why do you always sneak up on people?" She turned and saw Derek leaning against the bannister, his skin pasty and beaded with sweat. Bags hung under his lovely green/grey eyes and his hair was messier than usual. There was a look on his face that said he was going to throw up or pass out.

"Are you okay? You look sick," she took a step closer and held out her hand as if to catch him if he fell.

"I'm fine," he said, his breathing heavier than usual.

"Derek, do you want me to take you to a hospita-"

"I said I'm fine," he snapped. "What do you want?"

She excused his grumpiness, still keeping her hand up, "They're releasing your sister's body. Did you have any plans for a burial? The county'll pay for one if you can't afford it."

Derek got a hard look on his face, then it slowly turned into an expression that made him look like he was about to vomit. He turned away and sat on the stairs, his head in his hands and swallowing with a sour face.

She knelt down beside him, "Derek, are you okay?"

He stood up, balancing himself on the railing and straightening up, "I'm fine. Just the flu."

Mia sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Yeah." She crossed her arms and paused, making sure he didn't keel over, "Do you have any plans for her?"

He looked at her and shook his head, "No, I don't."

Derek leaned over and held his stomach. He could feel the poison spreading throughout his entire body.

"That's it," Mia told him. "I'm taking you to a hospital."

"I don't need it," Derek barked through grit teeth.

"Derek," she said, as if talking to a child. "You look ready to croak."

"I said, I'm fine," he glared at her, trying to make her leave. "Now go."

Maybe if he was actually dying yet he'd let her stay and keep him company. But he wasn't, and he just wanted the damn cure.

She shot a glare right back at him, "Fine."

Mia took out a piece of shredded paper and wrote on it with a pen, handing it to him. He checked it over, staring

at the neat, swirly handwriting.

It was phone number.

"You can call and we'll discuss the options," she said, starting to head for the door. "Feel better."

"Hopefully," Derek muttered to himself as she closed the door. He knew he'd pissed her off, and he hadn't wanted to, she was trying to help. Of course, she wouldn't know what the hell to do with him.

Derek waited until she was gone to get into his own car, which was hidden behind the house, to go and find Scott.

* * *

Derek sat back in Stiles' jeep, leaning forward with an uneasy churning of his stomach. He instantly felt dizzy and sat up straight again.

"Try not to bleed out on my seats, okay?" Stiles snapped. "We're almost there."

"Almost where?"

"Your house," Stiles said with a 'duh' tone.

Derek shook his head, "You can't take me to my house."

"Why not?"

"Not when I can't protect myself," Derek retorted.

Stiles pursed his lips in a sort of duck-face fashion and pulled over, "What happens if Scott doesn't find your little magic bullet, hmm? Are you dying?"

"Not yet," Derek said. "I have a last resort."

"What last resort?" Stiles asked.

Derek groaned, too tired to bicker but did it anyways, finally threatening the kid into driving him around some more, although quite reluctantly. Whatever, he was at least moving.

It was another hour or so and the sun was going down when Scott had finally answered his phone.

"Did you find it?"

"_How am I supposed to find it_?" Scott sounded utterly annoyed, "_It's like the freaking Walmart of guns in here_."

"Look, if you don't find it I'm dead, alright?" Derek offered as a weak incentive.

"_Starting to think that's not such a bad thing_," Scott muttered.

Derek ground his teeth together, wondering why the hell he ever let these idiots help him fhwen he had a cop standing right in front of him.

"Then think about this: the alpha calls you out against your will. You either kill with him or you get killed," Derek snarled, "So if you want to stay alive, you need me. Find the bullet."

He threw the phone back at Stiles weakly, sitting back and shrugging off his jacket, trying to slow his breathing. A piece of torn yellow paper fell and danced to the floor like a helicopter seed.

Stiles spotted three letters and a number, looking to see if Derek had noticed it'd fallen. He appeared not to have seen a thing, closing his eyes and licking his cracked lips.

He opened it up to see: _**Mia **__**555-8462**_

"What's this?" Stiles grumbled.

Derek opened an eye, reaching for the scrap, "It's a piece of paper."

Stiles pulled it away and stared slack-jawed at him, "You giving her death threats, too, huh?"

Derek rolled his eyes and glared at Stiles, "Give, me, the, paper."

"Why?" Stiles taunted like a child on the playground.

Shaking his head, Derek leaned his forehead against the cool window, sighing at the slight relief. Stiles threw the paper at him and threatened, "Quit talking to her."

"Why?" Derek mocked.

Stiles pursed his lips like a duck again and glared out the windshield as they drove up to the animal clinic.

* * *

"How was Kindermusic?" Mia asked. Vivienne yawned, putting a tinny hand over her tinny mouth. She shrugged a little and then closed her eyes, worn out from music class.

Mia yawned herself, turning the radio down when she saw Vivienne's soft breathing from the rearview mirror. Her phone rang loudly and she quickly put it on mute, planning to call back when she got off the road. Being a cop for four years, she knew what phone plus driving equaled.

Mia pulled into the driveway of her rather small garage, studying her shabby white house that was in need of a paint job. She sighed, still wondering how she was going to pay off the insurances.

She unbuckled Vivienne and propped her in her arms, carrying her off to bed. She barely made a sound as Mia laid her down, taking off her shoes and socks. But she opened her eyes as soon as Mia made a creak in the floorboards.

"Mm," she moaned tiredly.

"Hold on, sweetie," Mia said, undressing her and pulling a nighty over her head, taking the tight ponytail from her head. She laid her back down and covered her up, kissing her hair and quietly closing the door.

Mia took out her cell phone and checked the number. It was local, but unidentified. She pressed redial and after a few long rings a man answered.

"_Mia_."

"Derek?" She asked, "Sorry, I was driving."

"_It's fine_," he said, his voice staying in its same rough tone the entire conversation.

Her quick snap at him had worn off throughout the day, making her forget all about it.

Derek sat on the old couch, listening to the modified voice over the cell. It was an instinct, calling her. It came after the sinking feeling in his chest when he'd fallen, those two little words from such a little girl echoing softly: _**"Will you?" **_

"_Are you calling about Laura_?"

He paused, running his tongue over his chapped lips, "Yeah, about the dinner offer, too, actually."

Derek could hear the smile in her voice, "_Yeah? Well, if you'd want to come over for dinner tomorrow we could talk about the options. By the way, are you feeling better_?"

"Yeah, I am," he said.

"_That's good_," she whispered, "_Would you want to come over around six? Vivienne goes to bed kind of earl_y."

He told her: "That sounds fine."

"_Okay,_" she said. "_Do you know where the house is_?"

"No, I don't."

She gave him the address and he wrote it down on the piece of paper with her phone number.

"_I'll see you tomorrow_," Mia reminded softly.

"Tomorrow," Derek agreed.

He had a peaceful rest that night, Derek decided.


	6. Dinner (Part I)

**Chapter Six**

Vivienne was sitting in her favorite spot on the bleachers, watching Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski practice lacrosse. She sat with a coloring book and crayons on her left and her mother on her right. Mia patted her head and watched as McCall beat out Whittemore.

She cheered, clapping her hands. Vivienne grabbed the water bottle from Mia's hands and took a long sip, storing it in her mouth and puffing out her cheeks, looking up to Mia, who responded in a half-joking tone, "You spit that water at me, you're staying home from the game."

Vivienne made a moaning sound with the water in her mouth, swallowing it after. Mia smiled down at her and ruffled her curls, which were always somehow perfect and messy at the same time.

Stiles sat down on the bench ahead of them, then moved up to sit beside Mia.

"Hey," Stiles said. Then he looked down at Vivienne and made his special Godzilla voice, "Vivienne."

She giggled and pinched her nose, "You smell icky."

"No, uh, that's you," Stiles said with a fake condescending voice. "_I _smell perfect."

Vivienne shook her head, pushing his arm, "Nah-uh."

"Yeah, uh," Stiles said.

Mia shook her head at him, "No, she's right, Nah-uh."

Stiles made a high-pitched sound, holding his chest, "You always make me feel bad. This is why I never take you out in public."

"You never take me anywhere," Mia said with a forged cry.

Vivienne twittered at the two and Mia asked, "So when do you think you're playing?"

"I got moved up to back-up," Stiles said, pumping his fist slightly.

Mia shook her head again, smiling, "Call me so I can work off when you play." She saw Stiles staring off at another bench, his eyes glazed with awe. She followed and saw a brunette sitting with a redhead. "Stiles, you, uh, enjoying little red over there?"

"For the last time," Stiles said, "her hair is _strawberry blonde_."

"Whatever," Mia waved him off.

Scott collapsed on the bench in front of them, looking up at the three and asking, "Whatcha guys talking about?"

"Stiles never takes me anywhere," Mia complained again. Stiles threw up his arms in pseudo. Scott smiled, turning his grin to Vivienne, who smiled back from her coloring book.

"So, Scotty," Mia said deviously, "I hear you have a girlfriend."

Scott groaned, "She told you."

"Of course she did," Mia said matter-of-factly, "Your mother adores me."

Scott stuck out his tongue and Mia stuck hers out back, imitating their fights from when she used to babysit them.

"So, who is she?"

Scott looked over at the bench with the redhead and answered, "Allison."

"That's a nice name," Mia said. She trailed his gawking and her jaw almost dropped, "That one? How the he-"she looked down at Vivienne, who looked up with exquisite blues and finished, "How'd _you_ get _that_ one?"

"What? Why?" Scott asked. Stiles leaned back with a muffled grin, "I can get a good-looking girlfriend."

"Not that good-looking." Mia remarked.

Scott turned away and looked to Allison again, who smiled and waved at him. Scott waved back and Mia and Stiles cooed, "Aw-w-w!"

"Shut up," Scott groaned.

Vivienne giggled at them again, moving to sit in her mother's lap. Mia wrapped her arms around her and rested her chin on top Vivienne's head.

"What's her last name?" Mia asked, "She looks sort of familiar."

"Argent," Stiles declared.

"She wouldn't be related to a Kate Argent, would she?"

Scott looked back at her, "You know her aunt?"

"Yeah, she was a substitute swim teacher when I was in senior year," Mia said. She looked down at Scott, "How do you know her aunt? Does she live here?"

"She's visiting," Scott said, "She helped entrap me in dinner last night."

Mia nodded, "Mm, the relatives will do that."

"No kidding," Stiles muttered.

Coach blew the whistle, "Stilinski! McCall! Quit talking to your girlfriend and get over here!"

The boys grumbled, getting up and joining the laps as Coach added, "It's not even legal anyways."

Mia chuckled at the coach, bouncing Vivienne on her knee, "You wanna go get something to eat."

Vivienne looked up, smiling, "Yuh."

"Yuh?" Mia echoed, with a deeper tone. She set Vivienne on the ground, grabbing her coloring book and crayons, carrying them to the car and holding Vivienne's hand with her free one.

She buckled her in and said, "Just a snack, we have a guest coming over for supper."

Vivienne jumped in her car seat, "Dewek?"

Mia ruffled her curls again and nodded, "Yeah, so you be good for mommy, okay?"

"Okey," Vivienne clapped.

* * *

Mia tossed another cereal box into the pantry, making sure everything looked nice and neat. She spread the doily across the center of the table, an old oak one with a large scratch on the leg her and David had bid on at an auction.

Mia felt like throwing up thinking about him.

There was a knock on the door and Mia checked the clock above the front door, seeing that he was at least thirty minutes early.

She opened the door, "Derek, you're here early."

Scott stood at the door, his smile fading to a confused look.

"Derek?" Scott asked, "Why are you expecting him?"

She raised a brow at his tone and expression, "Why are you so concerned?"

Scott shrugged, biting his cheek and trying to be casual, "I just…hear he's bad news."

Mia let him in and rolled her eyes, "He's had bad luck, doesn't mean he's bad news."

Walking into the kitchen with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, Scott looked at the surprisingly clean house. "Is he coming over?"

"Yes," Mia said, shoving some papers into a folder and tossing on top of the fridge, "he is. And I expect you to be gone by the time he comes over, which is in…" she glanced at the clock and groaned, "ten minutes. I don't even have the table laid out and I don't…Ugh, I hate planning things."

"How do you know him?" Scott asked.

"Uh, old friend from school," she said, setting out three plates. "He…used to be David's friend so we hung out a lot."

"Of course he was David's friend," Scott muttered.

"How do you know him?" Mia countered, not hearing his remark. Scott shrugged.

"He…um, gave a…Allison a ride from the party when I had to leave early," he said, his voice faltering towards the end. He was just making Derek sound even _better _to be around. Scott hit his head against the doorframe.

"See?" Mia said. "He sounds perfectly fine to me."

"Yeah," Scott whispered.

"Scott, what did you need?"

Scott opened his mouth to speak and paused. What had he come here for?

"Uh…just wanted to drop by," he said. "See Vivienne."

"Mm-hmm," Mia nodded.

A Camaro pulled in and Mia ran her hand through her hair, "I look fine, right?"

"Y-yeah," Scott said. "You look good."

She blew air from her mouth, "Okay, you should get going."

"Why is he coming over?" Scott asked. He heard Derek pause outside the door, listening to him. Scott gulped.

"We're going to discuss burial plans for his sister," she said. "It's a shame, she was a nice girl."

Scott nodded, still listening to Derek, who was still standing outside. There was a pause between Mia and Scott, then a knock on the door.

"That's him," she mumbled to no one in particular. She made a motion for Scott to follow him to the door. He obliged, trudging along. He stopped behind Mia, whom Derek saw when she opened the door was at least four inches taller than her.

Mia smiled, "Hey, right on time."

"Yeah," Derek said, casting a look at Scott.

"I'm gonna…get going," Scott said.

Mia nodded and let him pass by Derek, saying, "See you tomorrow, Scott."

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her as she closed the door, Derek following her in.

Scott groaned inaudibly to himself. This guy was ruining his life.


	7. Author's Note

So, just to warn you, my computer is being screwy and crashes whenever I try to write on it. So if I'm MIA, that's probably the main reason.

I'll update as soon as I can!

-**The Elusive Cryptic**


	8. Dinner (Part II)

So, I got my computer working again and finished up the chapter. I struggled a bit with this one, so forgive me if it's awkward.

Thanks to those who reviewed! They're appreciated.

P.S. Links to pictures of Vivienne and Mia are on the profile if anyone's interested.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Mia was nervous, that much Derek could tell. Her heart was racing and a few dark curls fell from the bun she'd put half of her hair in.

"Uh, there's potatoes and I made some pork," she looked back at him and asked, "You eat meat, don't you?"

"Yes," Derek said. "Pork's fine."

Vivienne hopped out from a door in the hallway and skipped into the kitchen, dragging an old pink bunny with one button eye. Mia patted her head and looked at the bunny, "Honey, that thing is getting gross. Don't take it to the table."

"She likes table!" Vivienne piped up.

Mia gave her a stern look, "It's not coming to the table."

Vivienne pouted and stomped across the threshold to the living room, setting her pink bunny primly in a chair.

"You can sit down," Mia said, noticing Derek standing in the doorway.

Derek nodded and took a chair. Vivienne galloped back into the kitchen, sitting on the chair beside him and smiling. Derek gave her a pleasant look and she looked at the edge of the table, which was right in front of her pretty eyes. He looked across the table where her booster seat sat in the chair across from him.

Mia smiled over at her, "You want to sit by Derek tonight?"

Vivienne nodded eagerly, shifting to sit on her legs so she could see over the table.

Mia smiled, amused, over at Derek, who raised his eyebrows in response. She picked up Vivienne's booster seat and Vivienne hopped off, waiting for Mia to finish with her chair. Vivienne ran around it and started to jump up, grabbing the top of the chair and making it squeak, tipping over. Derek grabbed her arm before she could tumble off. She smiled up at him, looking him the eyes with pure adoration.

Derek looked at her with the same expression.

"Thanks," Mia whispered over his shoulder, setting a plate of mashed potatoes at the center of the table.

"Pork!" Vivienne said, bouncing slightly.

"I made pulled pork for Your Highness," Mia said, setting down a pink plastic plate with princess designs on it, mashed potatoes and a hamburger bun stuffed with pork. "You want any pulled pork?"

"Regular's fine," Derek responded.

Mia smiled and handed him a white plate, setting down a knife, fork and spoon in front of him.

* * *

"So," Mia started as she put the plates into the sink. "Did you have any life insurance for Laura?"

Vivienne had finally stopped pestering Derek to sit by her while she watched _Cinderella. _Mia having to tell her it was time for grown-up talk. She now sat in the living room, which was only a few feet from the table, watching Disney with her decaying pink bunny.

Derek's chest ached at the name, but she deserved a proper burial. Mia must've noticed since she'd sat beside him and added, "I know it's hard, but if you didn't have anything, the county can bury her."

He shook his head, "There's a plot in the cemetery. By our parents."

Mia nodded, "Alright," opening a drawer by the counter and pulling a yellow notepad and a dull pencil from the cluttered space. She scribbled down phone numbers and addresses in her elegant, feminine handwriting and slid it across the table to him.

"That's the funeral home and Mr. Lahey's number. He's in charge of the burial plans, so you may have to give him a call. The other one is a place downtown where you can find a casket and the last one is where you can find a headstone."

"Do I need anything else?" Derek asked, looking down over the numbers and letters.

She leaned her elbow on the table and rested her cheek in her hand, her dark curls tumbling over her face so she had to push them behind her ears.

"The insurance company, but I figured that was a given," she told him. "I can find the number for that, too, if you'd like."

"I've got it."

Mia nodded, "Well, you have my number. If you need any help with it, you can call."

Derek looked at her blue eyes, trying to force down his pride enough to say 'Thank you' when Vivienne interrupted.

"I talk, too?" Vivienne called, facing back and looking to her mom for permission, leaning her chin on the old, floral couch.

"I think we have everything," Mia told him.

"Yeah," Derek said, looking to Vivienne, who smiled at him brightly.

Mia nodded to her and her smile widened as she jumped off the couch and scurried up to Derek, looking up at him with gorgeous blue eyes. Derek could tell she would be beautiful when she was older, maybe prettier than her mother. Derek found himself watching Mia, seeing if it could be true.

She caught his eye and he couldn't be sure if it was.

"You wa'ch now?" She asked, her little eyebrows creasing in expectancy.

Mia smiled and looked to Derek, but he could see a hesitant look in her eyes.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Mia nodded, "Yeah, just…it's fine."

Vivienne grinned, waiting for him to stand up and follow her to the couch. He obliged, letting her guide him and climb onto the couch, waiting for him to sit beside her.

"Pay!" Vivienne pleaded, trying to be polite but coming on a bit bossy.

Mia raised an eyebrow at her, "What do we say."

"Pwease!" She clapped.

Mia patted her head as she passed, pressing the play button. _Cinderella_ came on, a cartoon blonde sewing a pink dress with mice surrounding her. Derek couldn't remember the last he'd seen this movie. He remembered watching it with Cora one day when she was really little, maybe five or so.

He looked down at Vivienne, took in her brown curls and her button nose. It was a familiar scene, sitting on the couch with a tiny girl watching Disney movies.. His heart warmed and ached at the memory.

Mia sat on the other side of Vivienne, resting her elbow on the armrest and repeating the action she'd done at the table. She looked to Vivienne and Derek gingerly, putting her arm around Vivienne's shoulders.

He watched the old movie in silence, listening while Vivienne had told him she was going to be a princess for Halloween. He noticed that Vivienne was sometimes quiet and others she would talk as if her pint-sized life depended on it. And she always smiled at whatever Derek said with that same smile Mia occasionally gave him with a wholehearted light in her eyes that made Derek start to fall even further for this little tike and her beautiful mother.

* * *

Mia leaned in the doorway, smiling at Derek while Vivienne sat in front of the TV, flipping through more DVD trying to decide what to watch next.

"You should come over again sometime," Mia offered. "Vivienne obviously has a soft spot for you."

Derek huffed in amusement, "I'd like that."

She smiled again, showing perfect white teeth, suggesting she'd had braces before he'd known her. He found himself staring, inviting Mia to lean in closer.

Her pupils dilated to almost take up her entire iris. She sucked in a sharp breath and blinked rapidly, her full pink lips formed into a pout. Derek's eyelids started to feel heavy.

"Mommy?"

Derek snapped back, pursing his lips together tightly. Mia sank back, tapping her fingers against the arch of the door, looking disappointed.

"Yeah, baby?" She called back.

"I'm thirsty!"

Derek straightened as Mia smiled at him quickly, gesturing back towards the kitchen. "Uh, I've gotta…"

"Yeah," he said.

She nodded, "I'll see you…sometime."

Derek turned away and she closed the door, leaning back against it, shaking her head.

Vivienne looked up at her with the pink bunny in her arms. Mia raised her eyebrows down at her, "Was that as awkward as it looked?"

Vivienne's brows creased, "Wuh?"

Mia shook her head, "Nothing. I'll get you a cup, kay?"

Smiling in triumph, Vivienne smiled up at her. Mia ruffled her hair and led them back into the kitchen.


End file.
